Preventive Medicine

At Colorado Equine Veterinary Services, we strive to keep your horses healthy and productive. Preventive medicine is Key to keeping horses well. It is much easier and less expensive to prevent illnesses than to treat them.

A Comprehensive Vaccination Program

Annual vaccinations are critical to maintaining the health of your horse. We recommend vaccinating at least once a year for Rhinopneumonitis/Influenza virus. If you have a busy show schedule, ask your veterinarian about further virus vaccinations. Additionally, your horse should be vaccinated against Eastern, Western, Venezuelan, and West Nile virus every 6 months beginning before the peak of mosquito season in your area, such as in February and July.

A Dental Care with Power Float Check-up

Your horse’s teeth continue to change, producing sharp points on the inside and outside of the cheek teeth. These points can be painful and cause ulcerations of the tongue and on the inside of the cheeks. This can cause your horse to drop feed and resist the bit. The most complete and precise way to manage these problems are with yearly floating (or filing) to remove the points. Colorado Equine Veterinary Services can help with a full-mouth speculum and Power Float.

A quality wellness schedule will enhance your horse's overall health.

The goal of an equine wellness schedule is to protect your horse's health and minimize the chance of unexpected, life-threatening and costly illness.

Sample Wellness Schedule

Yearly physical exam - Complete in January, February or March

• Nutritional evaluation
• Coggin's test (Equine Infectious Anemia)
• Blood tests (Complete blood count and chemistry panel) for older horses

Annual Spring Vaccinations - Complete in March, April or May— Minimum Recommendation

• Rhinopneumonitis
• Influenza
• Encephalitis (Eastern and Western)
• Tetanus
• West Nile Virus
• Intra-nasal Strangles (optional)
• Rabies

Booster Vaccinations

• Rhinopneumonitis and Influenza— Recommended in the spring and fall for most horses

Regular deworming

• Complete every 8 weeks utilizing an appropriate rotation of products
• Ivermectin must be given after a killing frost in the fall to remove stomach bots & migrating bot larva
• The Pfizer Colic Assistance Program requires daily use of Strongid C® or Strongid C 2X®, and twice- yearly Ivermectin treatment.

Annual dental examination and floating—If necessary, done in either spring or fall.

Routine hoof care—Farrier visits every six to nine weeks, more often if needed.